Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:8; 6:21-23; 2 Cor. 3:16; Psa. 73:1, 13, 16-17, 25
These passages all speak of the heart and light. Let us consider the relationship between the heart and light.
Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Seeing is related to light. If you can see, there must be light. Without light, it is impossible to see. This verse also says, "They shall see God." God is light. Therefore, to see God is to see light. The condition for seeing light is having a pure heart; those who are pure in heart can see light.
Matthew 6:21-23 says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" This verse again mentions the relationship between the heart and light. Whenever your heart follows earthly treasure, your eye cannot be single; you are in darkness and cannot see light.
Second Corinthians 3:16 says, "But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." What is a veil? A veil blocks a person from seeing. Any time your heart turns to the Lord and is proper, the veil in you will be removed and there will be light.
Psalm 73:1 declares, "Surely God is good to Israel,/To those who are pure in heart." This is the subject. Then the psalmist said that for a time his eyes were on the prosperity and success of the wicked, and he almost slipped. Yet he did not fall because his heart was still somewhat pure. He did not understand until he entered into the sanctuary of God. He said that before he saw the light he was like a beast, irrational and ignorant. But when he entered into the sanctuary of God, he saw; then he said, "Whom do I have in heaven but You?/And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth" (v. 25). This is the experience of one who sees light after being in extreme darkness. He had not fallen into total darkness because his heart was still somewhat pure. Hence, there was still an opportunity for him to receive God's grace and to receive light.
These four passages show us that when the heart is pure, one sees God; when the heart is single, there is light within; when the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away; and when the heart is pure, one does not slip and can know God further. Since there is such a close relationship between the heart and light, it is necessary to deal with our heart in order see light.
What is meant by the "heart"? What does it refer to? This is not easy to explain. According to the Scriptures, man is divided into three parts. Outwardly there is his body, and inwardly there is his spirit; between the body and the spirit there is the soul. Is the heart in the spirit or in the soul? It is difficult to say; however, we can say that man's heart includes his conscience (Heb. 10:22; 1 John 3:20-21), his mind (John 12:40; Luke 2:35), his emotion (John 14:1; Luke 24:32), and his will (Acts 11:23). Our mind denotes the part with which we think, our emotions denote the part with which we feel, and our will denotes the part with which we make resolutions. The heart is linked to the spirit and also to the soul. We may say that the heart includes the mind, but the heart is not just the mind; the heart includes the emotions, but the heart is not just the emotions; the heart also includes the will, but the heart is not just the will. The heart is something in between the spirit and the soul. The heart occupies an important place in man. The issues of life stem from our heart, and the condition of our heart determines the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).
What is light? First John 1:5 says, "God is light." Only God is light. It is impossible for us to encounter light without encountering God. God is the Father of lights (James 1:17). God is the source of light. Therefore, when we say that we see the light, it means that we see God; we have met Him inwardly. Because we see God, we have light.
What kind of heart enables a person to see God? Those who are pure in heart shall see God. What does pure in heart mean? A pure heart desires only God and it is focused on God. It is a heart that is for nothing else in this universe except God. Only those who have such a pure heart can see God and can see light.
Dear brothers and sisters, have we not seen other saints stumble? Why have they stumbled? The Scriptures give us a principle: Those who stumble must be in darkness. Some may stumble in the daytime, but it is because they do not see the thing that stumbles them. This is the same as those who walk in darkness. Any kind of stumbling proves that a man is in darkness. Brothers and sisters, regardless of how sound your excuses may be, if you stumble, you are in darkness. First John 2:10-11 says, "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him; but he who hates his brother is in the darkness." If a man is in the light, he will not stumble. If he stumbles, he is clearly in darkness and not in the light. Is it possible for a man whose heart is only for God and for nothing else to be stumbled? If your heart is for God and nothing else, nothing can stumble you. Even if you are misunderstood, despised, and opposed by everyone, you will still not be stumbled. This is because your heart is not after man's understanding, esteem, sympathy, or praise; your heart is only after God. If you are after man's understanding and esteem, you will surely stumble when others misunderstand or despise you. But if your heart is only after God, you would not be stumbled even if your circumstances were ten times worse. There is only one kind of person who stumbles — one whose heart is not inclined toward God but rather is seeking and longing for something apart from God. This kind of person lives in darkness. God is like the sun, and we are like mirrors. In order for a mirror to reflect the light of the sun, it must face the sun. Whenever the mirror is misaligned a little, it will lose light. Similarly, whenever our heart is not properly focused, our words will not be properly focused; we will immediately have complaining words, ill-humored words, criticizing words, and gossiping words. This is a very strong proof that we are in the dark and not in the light. Those who are in the light do not stumble. Some brothers and sisters can praise with tears in their eyes. Although their hearts are sorrowful, they can still praise God. They can do this because their hearts are inclined toward God. They live in the light, and nothing can stumble them.
For instance, if your heart is for God and not for your clothes, you will not become angry or complain when your clothes are spoiled or torn. If your heart is not for God but rather for your clothes, the minute your clothes are damaged, your heart will be provoked, and you will lose your temper and complain. This shows that you are in darkness. Only when your heart is toward God will you not be taken away by your clothes. Only then will you have the light, and only then will you see something.
Suppose your heart is on your children, and you love them more than God. When you do this you are in darkness. This does not mean that parents should not love their children. It means that if the parents' hearts are captured by their children, if they indulge in their love for them and have more regard for them than they have for God, they will not have any light. Some brothers and sisters are very clear concerning other things, but they are blind with love for their children. For them, it is reasonable even if their children behave unreasonably. These brothers and sisters are in darkness. Their hearts must turn to God before they can be free from the bondage of their children and before they can have light and see.
With some brothers and sisters, their hearts are covetous for money. They are surely in darkness because the Lord clearly says that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." When money is in front of their eyes, they will not see God or any light, and they will definitely be in darkness. But if they free their heart from money, they will receive light.
Whenever you are about to engage in a dispute with another person, you should first check to see whether you are dealing with this person directly or whether you have first turned to God. Then you can deal with this person while keeping your heart on God. Only when your heart is aimed at God will it be enlightened; only then will it see accurately. Otherwise, you will speak foolishly and debate foolishly. You will insist that the other party is wrong and that you are right. If your heart is focused on God, many disputes will not become an issue at all.
This is not all. Those who are learning to serve the Lord should be alerted to another thing: not only can man, things, and matters become the source of our darkness, but even our service to the Lord or our gifts and talents from God can become the source of our darkness. Regardless of how useful God makes us and how much gift and power He gives us, these things can easily cut off our relationship with God. If our heart is attached to our work or our gift, the most dangerous time is when our work prospers, because we can fall into darkness easily. This is because none of these things is light; only God is light. There is no light besides God. If we put our heart in anything apart from God, whether it is good or bad, it will prevent us from seeing God. Our heart must not be held by our work; it must not be held by our gift or by the result of our work. Our heart should be toward God. Only then can we have light, and only then will we see.
Brothers and sisters, our heart must be proper and pure, and it must be toward God. If our heart is not toward God, we will surely be in darkness. It is most pitiful to be in such a condition. When our heart is focused on God, we will see light. Once we have light, all the improper things will spontaneously fall away from us. When the heart is proper, there will be light. Once the light comes, it will deliver us from errors. The more light there is, the more deliverance we will have. If we are free from errors, it proves that we are persons in the light. Therefore, in order to have light, we must first deal with our heart.
